The Big Book Awards: Prima’s shortlist of the best page turners

We’ve been hunting for the best easy reads for summer and beyond– here are the books you and the judges liked most.

By
Prima Team

28/06/2018

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Big Book – the nationwide search to find the best new novels being published in the UK right now – is on!

Thousands of readers of magazines including Prima, Red, Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping have been busy selecting their favourite reads in categories from thrillers to memoirs.

They were joined by editors and guest judges – including bestselling authors Lynda La Plante, food expert Tom Parker Bowles and founder of Not On The High Street, Holly Tucker – to draw up a list of must-read fiction and non-fiction.

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Of all the fantastic titles submitted to Prima’s page-turner category, we’ve whittled them down to a shortlist of four. Each provides something different but they all guarantee an unputdownable read that will have you glued until the end. Enjoy!

The shortlist

Grace After Henry by Eithne Shortall (Corvus)

Atlantic Books

Grace sees Henry everywhere, except it’s not him, because he died two months ago. So who is this stranger called Andy who is the spitting image of her lost love? Remindedof everything she once had, can Grace recreate that lost love with Andy?

About the author

Eithne Shortall

Eithne, 32, is based in Dublin and is the chief arts writer for the Sunday Times Ireland: ‘Books are so important to me; I believe they can change your life. This is my second novel, and inspiration came when I was waiting for my boyfriend to turn up to view a house. I wondered what could happen if he didn’t.’

Eithne's favourite books

Childhood:Winnie-The-Pooh by AA Milne

Classic:A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Thriller: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Recent read: Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty

Reading this summer:Tin Man by Sarah Winman

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo (HQ)

HQ

Lucy and Gabe meet on 11 September 2001, but walk away from each other. A few years later, they meet again and spend an emotional 14 months together. Then Gabe leaves, but he’s always in Lucy’s thoughts.

About the author

Jill Santopolo

Jill, 37, works at a children’s publisher in New York: ‘The inspiration for this was a broken heart. It isn’t autobiographical, but writing the character of Lucy helped to heal me. I’ve written 16 books, and I love when a reader tells me my book has helped them through a rough patch. It’s so gratifying.’

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Jill's favourite books

Childhood:Andrew Henry’s Meadow by Doris Burn

Classic:A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Thriller:Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré

Recent read: The Man Who Didn’t Call by Rosie Walsh

Reading this summer:Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Fear by CL Taylor (Avon)

Avon

Lou’s life fell to pieces when, as a teenager, she ran away with her teacher, Mike Hughes. Now 32, she discovers he is involved with another student. But by confronting him about the damage he caused, will she once again become his prey?

About the author

CL Taylor

Cally, 44, is based in Bristol and has been writing full time for the past three years: ‘I’m enthralled by the power of the written word. It’s amazing the places that imagination can take you. I’ve written romantic comedies but, with The Fear, I wanted to write an empowering psychological thriller with a female protagonist. The spark came from a news story about a teenager who ran away to France with her teacher. I wondered how that experience would have shaped her as a woman. Writing makes my heart sing, and inspiring others to find that love is immensely rewarding.’

Cally's favourite books

Childhood: The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Classic:1984 by George Orwell

Thriller: Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer

Recent read: The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor

Reading this summer: Watching You by Lisa Jewell

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (Macmillan)

Macmillan

Told partly from the viewpoint of abandoned Vanessa, who believed her marriage to Richard was perfect, and Nellie, who is now engaged to Richard – but she just can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her…

About the authors

Bill Miles

Both full-time writers aged 50, the American pair met when Greer was Sarah’s editor. ‘When planning the idea for this book, we wanted to explore how memories are coloured by the lenses through which we view our worlds,’ they say.

Greer's favourite books

Childhood: Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Thriller:Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson

Recent read:Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Reading this summer: The Favourite Sister by Jessica Knoll

Sarah's favourite books

Classic:Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Thriller: The Poet by Michael Connelly

Recent read: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Reading this summer:The Wives by Lauren Weisberger

Best of the rest

Honourable mentions go to the other long-listed titles in Prima’s page-turner category: